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Foundation completes 13th round of grants
The Columbia Valley Community Foundation awarded a total of $30,486 in community grants to 10 charities for 11 projects on December 17.
The grants partially fund a significant array of contributions that hardworking organizations deliver to the Columbia Valley; the total investments in these initiatives for the 11 projects being undertaken are $160,000.
The Community Foundation enables donors to grant to the widest possible range of charitable organizations and initiatives: arts and culture, children and youth, community facilities, education, environment, health and safety, literacy, recreation and social services.
“The Community Granting Program is an exceptional example of how we connect donors with causes that inspire them in our Columbia Valley communities — from Spillimacheen to Canal Flats,” says Sue Macdonald, chair of the grants committee. “Community grants invest in people, ideas and activities that enhance the quality of life in the Columbia Valley.”
Total grants awarded reflect Board-directed granting and the interests of people who have established donor-interest funds. The grants were awarded to the following charities to help them in continuing their mission and development of programs, services and organizational capacity:
1) Columbia Basin Environment Education Network
2) Columbia Valley Arts Council
3) Columbia Valley Greenways Trail Alliance
4) Health Arts Society
5) Invermere Companion Animal Network Society
6) Steamboat Mountain Music Society
7) Village of Radium Hot Springs
8) Windermere District Historical Society
9) Windermere Valley Youth Centre Society
10) Wings Over the Rockies Bird Festival
“The 
Foundation has awarded a total of $65,800 in student awards. Our largest granting year for the foundation – nearly $100,000 in contributions to our communities and post-secondary students – would not be possible without our generous donors and the growth of our endowed funds. A big thank you goes out to our founders, donors and hardworking board,” says Roberta Hall, chair of the board.
Student award applications are accepted once per year during April, and community grant applications are accepted annually each fall. Prospective post-secondary students and qualifying organizations can download application packages from the foundation website.
In order to qualify for a grant from the Columbia Valley Community Foundation the grantee must be a registered Canadian charity. In some cases, not-for-profit organizations will come together under a lead charity to fulfill a project for the charitable organization. The guidelines for these partnerships are set out by the Income Tax Act and information can be obtained on the foundation website or from the Canada Revenue Agency.
About the Columbia Valley Community Foundation
The Columbia Valley Community Foundation (Foundation) is a collection of endowment funds, now totaling more than $3.2 million, established by donors from all walks of life to build legacies in our Valley communities. Funds are pooled and invested with the income distributed as grants to charitable organizations, and students, in a broad and inclusive manner that benefits the Columbia Valley between Spillimacheen and Canal Flats.
The Foundation, on behalf of its donors, has distributed more than $410,000 to registered charities that identified and led over 131 projects in the areas of: recreation, community facilities, children and youth, arts and culture, health and safety, the environment, literacy, student awards and social services.
Together with its community, a foundation enables the unique and essential spirit that flourishes when people believe their community holds possibilities for everyone.
Columbia Valley Community Foundation
